Level 2 · Reading series
Lesson 53 · The Festival Was Quieter Than I Expected
Audio track 53
Listen first
Listen once before opening the English passage.
Open the English passage and hover for word help
I expected the festival to be loud because I had seen bright videos online. But when we arrived, the street was calm.
People walked slowly with lanterns. A small group played music, and the sound of drums was deep, not noisy.
At first, I wondered if we had come at the wrong time. Then my grandmother said, "This festival is for remembering, not only for celebrating."
The quietness changed the meaning of the lights.
Sentence practice
Play any sentence in Dicvo’s Jenny English voice. Before playing all, choose how many times each sentence plays. A practice pause about as long as the sentence follows each play, including before the next sentence. The complete reading remains above.
Choose a sentence to begin.
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I expected the festival to be loud because I had seen bright videos online.
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But when we arrived, the street was calm.
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People walked slowly with lanterns.
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A small group played music, and the sound of drums was deep, not noisy.
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At first, I wondered if we had come at the wrong time.
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Then my grandmother said, "This festival is for remembering, not only for celebrating."
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The quietness changed the meaning of the lights.
Check your understanding
After reading, state the main idea in one sentence and find a line that supports it.
Chinese translation
我在网上看过色彩鲜艳的视频，以为节日活动会很热闹。可我们到达时，街上却很安静。
人们提着灯笼缓缓走着。一小群人演奏音乐，鼓声低沉，并不喧闹。
起初，我怀疑我们是不是来错了时间。奶奶却说：‘这个节日不只是为了庆祝，也是为了追思。’
明白这一点后，那些灯光在我眼里有了不同的意义。
Key words and expressions
Key terms have Chinese explanations. Hover over dotted words in the English passage for word help and pronunciation when available.
- festival
- 节日活动；主人公起初以为会热闹。
- expect
- 预料；网上视频影响了想象。
- loud
- 响亮的、喧闹的；实际现场更安静。
- arrive
- 到达；他们来到活动现场。
- calm
- 平静的；形容街道氛围。
- lantern
- 灯笼；人们提着走。
- drum
- 鼓；鼓声低沉而不吵闹。
- wonder if
- 怀疑是否……；主人公以为来错时间。
- wrong time
- 错误的时间；后来发现并没有来错。
- remember
- 追思、纪念；奶奶解释活动的另一层意义。
Background notes (Chinese)
节日不一定都以热闹为主。有些活动也包含纪念和追思，因此声音、步伐与灯光会呈现另一种氛围。课文没有具体指定某个节日，应从奶奶的话理解这一次活动的意义。